To Keep You Safe
by Phanny6
Summary: Dear Kirito, Miss me? 'Cause I've missed you, and you're not going to believe who I'm with! Actually, you might because I'm sending this from her email. It's been too long, boy, and I'm itching to get my syringe into your skinny little neck! Johnny's back in town and he has a grudge, and he will do whatever it takes to get his revenge. Be seeing you soon. -Black Please Read XD
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Ahoy! If you are reading this than I probably wrote a good summary, Lol like I could do that XD. This is just something that came to me when I was doing dishes at 12 O'clock at night. So please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SAO; if I did there would be a lot more fluff.**

Sleep, the one thing that Kirito is not getting. Sure it's 3 am but he just can't fall asleep. He turned in his bed for the umpteenth time that night and stared at the ceiling. He wanted to call Asuna but she was probably fast asleep and there was no way he would wake her up to deal with his problems. He decided that sleep wasn't an option anymore and walked over to his computer. The light from his computer temporarily blinded him, but he quickly recovered. As he was browsing the internet he got an email, seeing it was from Asuna he opened it quickly.

_Dear Kirito,_

_ Miss me? 'Cause I've missed you, and you're not going to believe who I'm with! Actually, you might because I'm sending this from her email. It's been too long, boy, and I'm itching to get my syringe into your skinny little neck! Johnny's back in town and he has a grudge, and he will do whatever it takes to get his revenge. Be seeing you soon._

_-Black_

He stared in disbelief, as he reread the message. After reviewing it for the third time, he sprang into action. Only taking a minute to put his shoes on and grab his bike. Pedaling as fast as he could he managed to get there in 5 minutes tops. He walked up to the door and went to knock but as his fist connected with the door, it slowly creaked open. Assuming the worst he bolted into the house, up the stairs, and into Asuna's room. He quickly pushed the door open and looked around. The room was an off-white color, similar to Asuna's bedroom before they got together. The room itself was fine, nothing broken or smashed. He turned his head toward her window, he saw that it was open and ran over.

When he looked out all he saw was the midnight blue sky and the brilliant full moon. He sighed and looked over to the bed. He saw Asuna sleeping, he smiled. Until he thought, _'What if she's not sleeping?!'. _With that he ran back over to her and put his two fingers on her neck. He released the breath he didn't know he was holding and sat on the bed with his face in his hands. _'That was close. Too close. How am I supposed to protect her if she's so far away.'_

He jumped when someone tapped his shoulder; end result, he fell off the bed. Asuna gasped and looked over the side of her bed, only to be met with a pair off deep gray eyes.

"Sorry Kirito-kun." She said as she helped him up. "Umm… Why are you here at…" She paused as she looked at the clock. "4 O'clock in the morning?"

"I-Umm…" He mentally debated whether to tell her the truth or not. "Um… Really wanted to see you?"

"Kirito, I know when you're lying. Why are you here?"

"Why, am I not allowed here?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"Not at 4 am." He face palmed. "Stop trying to change the subject and answer me."

"Can I explain myself tomorrow? I'm really tired."

"… Fine but you, sir, owe me an explanation." She said as she moved over to make some room.

"Great, hold on." With that he ran downstairs, took off his shoes, and closed and locked the front door; along with every other entrance he could find and ran back upstairs.

When he entered the room, he was met with a very confused Asuna. He slid into bed with her and cuddled up close. He looked down and gave her a quick peck on the lips, then inhaled the beautiful scent of her hair while pulling her closer to him.

"I'm so happy you're okay." He muttered, mostly to himself but still caught Asuna's ear.

"And why wouldn't I be?"

"Shhh… I'll explain everything tomorrow." Asuna fell asleep almost immediately, leaving a certain swordsman to think everything over. Even in the arms of his lover, he still couldn't sleep.

…

The light shone brightly from the window, affectively making Asuna stir in her sleep. She touched the spot next to her, only to find it empty. Her eyes shot open as she looked for her boyfriend. She didn't find him, much too her dismay, the only thing that she found was a letter. She reached for it and cautiously opened it.

_My love,_

_ Sorry for coming over so late last night. I know I promised you that I would explain everything, and I will, but just not right now. I need you to stay in the dark about this for now. Please, I love you so very much._

_ -Kazuto_

A sigh escaped her lips, and she set the note back on her nightstand. She wondered what was going on, it must have been important if she couldn't know. She got up and started getting ready, which consisted of her taking a shower, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing her teeth, and then doing her hair. After all that she decided that she should call Kirito, maybe he'll tell her than. Grabbing her phone, she dialed his number. After 5 rings an out of breath Kirito answered.

Early Morning, Kazuto

Kirito laid next to his girlfriend for 2 hours after he accidentally woke her up. The whole time he didn't take his eyes off of her sleeping face (Definitely not creepy. XD). Oh, how much he wanted a perfect life. Just him, Asuna, and Yui living in their little cabin on floor 22. But life, however, was not perfect and he just witnessed an example. A killer, who goes by the name Johnny Black, has escaped prison and is after him because he was the one that put him there in the first place. Man, was life complicated.

He thought about how he should be able to protect Asuna no matter the situation. Hell, he thought he could. Tonight, however, proved just how wrong he actually was. He wasn't there to protect her when a crazed killer broke into her room. Even if he was there, he probably couldn't have protected her. He didn't know as much martial arts like his avatar in SAO. If he did, then he could protect Asuna and everyone he loved. On another note he has been taking some lessons as well as continuing his kendo training. If he really wanted to make a difference he was going to double –no triple his training.

With that thought in mind, he slid out of bed, walked towards Asuna's desk and wrote a letter. He placed the letter on her nightstand, and quickly kissed her forehead. It was half passed 6 and his sensei would let him into the dojo. He will protect Asuna with his life if he has too, but he won't die until the threat is neutralized.

…

Kazuto has been practicing for 3 and a half hours, and he's practically drenched in sweat. He didn't realize that taekwondo would be this hard. His sensei walked up to him and motioned him to sit. Already having this argument earlier, he stopping his training and did what his sensei told him.

"I've seen quite an improvement since your last visit, Kazuto. Why do you think that is?"

"Well… I've recently come to the realization that I'm not strong enough to protect the ones I love. So I have to become stronger… for her, for everyone."

"Ahh… Determination is strong but the power of will is stronger, and when you put them together and mix them with the power of love, you get an unbeatable force. Just don't get blinded by the power."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that when love is involved you can lose sight of yourself. Love is powerful and strong but sometimes love is a weakness. Others can see that weakness and use it against you."

"How do I prevent that from happening?"

"From what I sense, it's already too late to do so. But hope is not lost, not when you still have a fighting spirit."

"So if I just never give up, sooner or later I will be able to stand up to anything?"

"Don't ask me, I'm just a teacher." Kazuto stood there dumbfounded at his sensei, after what seemed like forever he started laughing. "Thanks, Sensei."

He bowed as his sensei leaves the room, his words of advice still echoing through his head. He started his training with a new view on his training. He was practicing a move called the Hammer fist, when his phone started ringing. It took him awhile to remember where he put it, when he finally finds it it's on its fifth ring.

"Hello?" He breathed out.

"Hey, Kirito-kun." Asuna said.

"Oh… Hey Asuna."

"Why do you sound so out of breath?"

"Um… I'm not." He said collecting himself.

"Sure you're not." She replied sarcastically. "Are you okay? You've been very secretive lately."

"Yea, I'm fine."

"Ok… Can I come over?"

"Sure… Just give me an hour."

"Kay, Love you."

"Love you too, bye."

Kirito placed his phone in his pocket and started on his way home. He made a mental list of what he needed to do.

…

Asuna placed her phone on her desk and sighed, she didn't like how Kirito was acting. As much as she liked having Kirito sleep with her, he usually wouldn't come over at 4 in the morning. '_Kazuto looked really spooked, he was pretty jumpy too. Something must have scared him, but what?' _

She didn't really like being kept in the dark, actually it drove her crazy not to know, but something about the way he acted last night scared her a bit as well. '_Maybe it would be best if I didn't know. It still bothers me though.' _She sighed as she looked at the clock; she still had 10 minutes until she could go to Kazuto's. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the doorbell.

She walked down the stairs and over to the front door. She peaked through the window and smiled until she got a better look and quickly threw open the door.

…

Kazuto after leaving the dojo~

Kazuto walked through the crowds of people, bumping into some, as he thought about his current situation. What happened last night really had shaken him up, not that he'll ever emit it, but he had to be strong. He knew that he lives quite a ways from Asuna and that if Johnny did do something to her he wouldn't get there in time to stop it. He needed something that assured that he would be by Asuna if anything was to happen, god forbid. _'Asuna's house is 4 miles from mine. Even if I had a car, I would still have to speed to get there. I guess I could camp outside of her house, no that's a stupid idea; she would just come and get me later anyway. Wait… what if I, no… maybe I, no… Uggg! Why is this so hard, I should just ask her to move in with me… Wait, what? Are we really ready for that? I mean we've been through a lot together, and I mean a lot, it would only make sense. It would also be an excellent way to protect her, plus if someone breaks in I could shoot them! I probably wouldn't go that far though.'_

He turned down an alley way, still lost in thought, when he felt two prying eyes glaring holes in the back of his head. Pulled from his thoughts, he quickly took in his surroundings; silently cursing himself for not doing so earlier. He looked to the left, then to the right, and finally making a full rotation; he assumed that he missed a spot because he froze when cold, hard steel pressed itself against his back.

"Johnny…" Kazuto said with more venom than a viper, "A gun? Kinda cliché, huh?"

"I saw it in a movie once, anyway how's my favorite buddy doing?"

"You know exactly how I'm doing, Johnny, or was it some other guy named Johnny with a vendetta against me sending messages through my girlfriends email?"

"Email? I don't know anything about an email." His voice dripping with amusement, as he watched his prey squirm when he shifted the gun.

"Sure you don't," Kazuto replied, "Why don't we just settle this here and now; we could make it a game, deal?"

Johnny thought this over for a while until he grinned. "And what does the winner get?"

"The winner gets to decide the fate of the loser and the loser can't fight it."

"Sounds like a good deal to me, especially since I'll win. Then when I do, I'll kill you, the same way I killed all my other victims. Any rules before we start?"

"No weapons but pipes are okay. Also if you win, you can't go after my friends or family; deal?"

"Deal." And with that the fight began.

**Authors Note: Well this was slightly longer than I originally thought it would be. But I liked it all the same. Tell me what you think, please don't flame, I openly except criticism. The next chapter should be coming out soon, so bear with me. So follow/fav and maybe leave a review? Reviews inspire me to write more **


	2. Chapter 2

"_Sounds like a good deal to me, especially since I'll win. Then when I do, I'll kill you, the same way I killed all my other victims. Any rules before we start?"_

_ "No weapons but pipes are okay. Also if you win, you can't go after my friends or family; deal?"_

_ "Deal." And with that the fight began._

Chapter 2

Kazuto's POV

Kazuto relaxed a little as the gun was removed from his back. He took a few steps forward and turned to face his opponent, watching as Johnny took off his coat and placed the gun next to it. He followed by taking off his coat and placing his bag on the ground as well; when he turned around he was met with a fist in the face. The force of the punch sent him flying into the brick wall behind him. Grinning as he wiped some blood off of his mouth, he pushed off the wall and flew towards his opponent kicking him in the chest; successfully throwing him off balance. Taking the offense, he swiped at Johnny's feet and tossed him into the wall. Johnny lifted himself up and kicked Kazuto in the kidney. Arcing forward, Johnny kicked him in the face. Kazuto grunted from the force and landed on his back onto the concrete. His face now gushing, he tried to get up but was forced back down when a pipe hit his chest; breaking a few ribs in the process.

Blood spewed from his mouth as another impact hit his chest. Johnny pulled back for another swing but dropped the pipe when it hit the back of his head. The piped clanged against the concrete, dragging Kazuto's attention to it. He kicked Johnny and picked up the pipe. He swung hard on Johnny's shoulder, breaking it in the process. Then he swung it down on his knee, cringing as he heard it crack. Johnny's agonizing scream didn't make it any better; he threw the pipe onto the concrete and looked at his now bloody hands. Johnny took advantage of the distraction and went for the pipe. Struggling to stand, he got to his feet and swung the pipe; grinning as it made contact with his opponents head.

Kazuto, on the other hand, did not grin when the pipe sliced his skull open; instead he crashed onto his knees and threw his hands to his head. Blood started pouring out of the wound and his head began to spin. He grunted when the pipe hit his back and he fell onto the concrete. He flipped over and kicked the pipe out of Johnny's hand. He struck Johnny's injured knee and rolled out of the way, grabbing the pipe as he pushed himself up. He took the pipe and smacked it across his opponent arm; swinging again he smashed Johnny's hand with it, breaking the hand and wrist. He threw the pipe onto Johnny's chest and grabbed his head; gathering as much energy he could, he slammed Johnny's head onto the concrete. He kicked him one last time in the ribs as he waited for a reaction but received none as he did. Anxiety coursed through him as he went to check his pulse, and nothing but relief filled him as he felt a faint heartbeat. He grabbed his bag, pulled out his phone and called the police; not forgetting to leave a note for them.

...

He struggled to walk, falling and stumbling, but he had to make sure that his love was okay. He would never forgive himself if he wasn't there to protect her. '_What a wonderful start to my day._' He thought sarcastically. He got looks as he walked to Asuna's, some even asked if he was ok, but he would ignore them and continue walking.

After what seemed like hours he arrived at his destination. Clinging to the last thread of conciseness, he rang the doorbell.

…

Asuna's POV

She walked down the stairs and over to the front door. She peaked through the window and smiled until she got a better look and quickly threw open the door. She gasped when she saw her love covered in blood and bruises. Her eyes immediately started watering as he collapsed at her feet, right before he slipped into unconsciousness she heard him mumble "I'm so happy you're okay…" She pulled him closer to her and started balling; grabbing her phone, she called an ambulance.

…

She never stopped crying, her father would try to comfort her but she only wanted to be comforted by her love. Everyone was there Sugu, Klein, Agil, Midori, her father and, surprisingly enough, her mother. The others went on a camping trip and were on their way. Kazuto's last words were still ringing in her ears,_ 'Why wouldn't I be okay?_', she kept on asking herself. Everything felt like a dream. She wished that she was in a dream, that she would wake up next to Kirito and everything would be fine.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the surgeon walked into the waiting room; he had blood all over his coat and mask. She knew that all that blood was Kirito's, just thinking about it made her shake with fear that her love was never coming back. She gathered up her remaining self-control and tried to be strong, she stopped crying so she could listen to what the doctor had to say.

"Mrs. Kirigaya?" He spoke in a calm demeanor, like he's done this a thousand times before.

"Yes?" Her voice was shaking with fear of what is to come.

"Your son's surgery went well but he has sustained a lot of injuries and we had to put him under so we could operate on him. But we didn't notice his concussion until we had already opened his skull and…"

"And? Is my son going to be okay?

"He should be but he has entered a comatose state and we're not really sure just when he'll wake up… well if he wakes up."

That was all Asuna could take until the tears came back ten times as strong. She was pretty sure that her sobs could be heard from the other side of the hospital and she didn't care. All she cared about right now was seeing her beloved.

"Can we see him?" Sugu asked for all of us.

"Yes, I'll show you to his room." He spoke strongly but it was lined with pity, he probably thought that Kirito wasn't going to make it. But she knew he would and that's all that mattered to her; but she still couldn't shake the horrible thoughts.

The man led them to the critical care hall, and stopped in front of door 415. He gave everyone a reassuring smile and walked into the room. None of them were prepared for the actual condition Kazuto was in. He was bruised and broken all over; he had gauze wrapped around his head and chest; red stains apparent on them. His hands were bruised and scabbed, along with his face. He looked like he went through hell and back; to say the least.

The tears flooded out of her eyes, she never cried so much before. She slowly fell to her knees and watched him as if her life depended on it. Every time she looked at him her heart hurt; she closed her eyes as she sobbed, hoping that Kirito would be okay.

…

**Authors Note:**

** Shame on me for taking FOREVER to update! I'm sorry for the wait and I'll try to update sooner but I'm really bad at updating on time. Try to forgive and hope I'll update soon.**

** -Phanny6**

** P.S. Reviews make me write faster! I'll except any criticism or ideas that anyone has so yeah… **


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, another chapter! Finally, I'm sorry about the wait my computer decided to die and I had to get it fixed. And by get it fixed I mean I yelled at it while it loaded until I fixed the problems. It's still not the same though… I even had to get another computer and type this all again lol but it was worth it. Anyway no spoilers but this one is a little sad, and might be shorter than I'm used to writing. Well onto the story!**

_The tears flooded out of her eyes, she never cried so much before. She slowly fell to her knees and watched him as if her life depended on it. Every time she looked at him her heart hurt; she closed her eyes as she sobbed, hoping that Kirito would be okay._

…

As night fell, the room slowly started clearing out. Klein was the first one to leave because he couldn't get off any more work, then Agil, Midori, Sugu, and every else except Asuna. She couldn't just get up and leave Kirito's side. She would be there until he woke up or she would die with him. No she wouldn't think like that, Kirito was going to make it. He had too, he's The Black Swordsman; the savior of all the people trapped in SAO.

(Memories will be in bold, when Kirito says it it's in bold italic; when Asuna says it it's in bold.)

'**Hey. If you married someone and then you discovered they had a side you didn't know, what would you think?'**

'_**Maybe… that I was lucky…, because if you marry someone it means you already like what you know about them, right? So if you found something new about them and fell in love with that too… wouldn't that be great?'**_

Tears dripped from her eyes as she buried her head in her hands. The feelings she felt for the black swordsman back then couldn't even compare to how she felt now. She wished she could go back to that state, where she understood everything she felt but now she was a mess of different emotions.

'**What are you doing?'**

'_**Why? It's you?'**_

'**The other lead group members are all working hard to clear the dungeon. Why are you out here taking a nap? Even if you're a solo player, you need to serious-'**

'_**It's Aincrad's nicest season, and today is its nicest weather setting. Entering a dungeon on a day like this is a waste.'**_

'**Do you not understand? Every day we spend here is one we've lost in the real world.'**

'_**But right now, we're alive here, in Aincrad. See the wind and the sunlight feels so good.'**_

'**Do they? There's nothing special about this weather.'**

'_**If you'd lie down for a bit, you'd understand.'**_

That was the first day she felt something more for the swordsman, of course she would deny it at the time but she definitely felt something. She slowly lifted her head and slipped her hand into his.

'_**My life belongs to you, Asuna. So I will use it for you. Let's stay together until end.'**_

'**And I'll protect you too. I'll protect you forever.'**

'_**I'll see to it that you can go back to the other world, no matter what happens.'**_

Her grip on his hand tightened as more tears threatened to fall. Her head shot up when she left a squeeze in return, eyes wide. He stirred and whispered," Asuna." More tears fell if that was even possible.

The heart rate monitor slowly began speeding up, as Kirito's breathing became more chaotic. He murmured something about Johnny and promises. Until… the fast beeping stopped.

**AN: Ugggg, I'm such a troll lol. Again for the long wait; hopefully I will be faster. Also sorry about the short chapter, I just like to leave you hanging. I don't own SAO or it's characters, I only own the plot. And a very special thanks to all my followers/favoriters. Thanks again, I will try really hard to update quickly. XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ahoy! I can't apologize enough for how long it took me to get this out! I'm so sorry I had school and then my computer didn't want to connect to the internet. I'm sorry if this chapter feels short but please believe I will not be leaving this story! I'm open to any suggestions on what should happen next, preferably while Kirito's still in a coma. I'm thinking he'll be in one for about 2-3 more chapters and I'm kinda out of ideas so help is welcomed! Again, So sorry for not updating in like forever.**

_The heart rate monitor slowly began speeding up, as Kirito's breathing became more chaotic. He murmured something about Johnny and promises. Until… the fast beeping stopped._

…

The world was a blur to Asuna for the next hour, doctors running in and out of the room. That moment kept repeating itself in her head. She could still feel the shock. The moment happened so quickly but she felt as if it were an eternity. The tears streamed down her face as a doctor approached her.

"Miss Yuuki? I need you to leave the room, you can wait in the hallway."

"Will he be okay?" She asked while he was walking her to the door.

"I can't promise anything." And with that he closed the door. (Okay that was a bitch move doctor.)

Her throat ached and she just wanted to see him. It was a horrible feeling to know that the only one she truly loved was dying; maybe even dead. She shook her head at the thought, she knew that Kirito was going to pull through. He had to.

She slowly slid down the wall and brought her knees up to her chest as she sobbed-her eyes got heavy.

…

'_What is this?'_

His eyes searched the darkness, trying to find something… hell anything. The deep nothingness surprised him.

'_Where am I?'_

He bit his lip and tried to focus his eyes but to no avail, there was nothing to even focus on. He felt a sudden warmth in his hand, it was familiar but he couldn't place it. He relished the heat, it was comforting in this abyss of nothingness. He concentrated on it, trying to remember how he knew it.

'_There's nothing here.'_

He sighed, giving up on searching, when he felt something on his hand. It was then he realized what he felt and why it was so familiar. The warmth in his hand was Asuna's own, but how did he feel her when she was nowhere to be seen?

"Asuna." He murmured.

…

She awoke to a voice calling her name and shaking her gently. She peaked an eye open and looked up towards the source of the voice.

"Miss Yuuki? We stabilized him, if you want to go see him now." A man in a white coat spoke, his voice gentle. She forgot her drowsiness and stood up quickly, practically running to the door.

"Thank you, Doctor." She said before entering the room, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the bed and looked at Kirito. '_What could of happened to you?'_ She took a seat and watched him for a second. She exhaled when she saw his chest rise normally.

The room was quiet, the only sound was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. The open window let in a gently breeze, moving Kiritos hair slightly. '_He looks so peaceful.' _ She sighed and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV.

A news anchor was rambling on about nothing and everything, she was about to change the channel when something caught her attention.

"Escaped murderer Johnny Black was captured today after an anonymous tip was phoned in. He was found in an alley, beaten and unconscious, and was taken back to jail. Police say that whoever did this is still at large and any tips on who could of done this is welcomed."

Johnny…. Of course it was Johnny, he was the only one who could do something so terrible. She looked over at her boyfriend, '_What have you gotten yourself into?' _

**Authors Note: Again, I'm so sorry about the wait, I hope you like the new chapter.**


End file.
